


The Quiet Dragon's Roar

by zephyrcat3



Series: Garden of Fireflies [5]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Anger, Angst with a Happy Ending, Friendship, Homophobia, I'm so sorry, M/M, Muteness, Please Don't Hate Me, Protectiveness, Racism, Screaming, Slurs, Triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:09:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26107741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zephyrcat3/pseuds/zephyrcat3
Summary: Natsu stands up against a Karen
Relationships: Natsu/Alex, Natsu/His friends
Series: Garden of Fireflies [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888261
Kudos: 1





	The Quiet Dragon's Roar

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Racism and homophobia. A lotta harsh words are gonna be included in this, so if you feel scared or uncomfortable, please feel free to skip the part where it happens and take a breather. I'm gonna feel so bad writing the parts with the harsh words but just know that I want to bring more awareness to racism and homophobia and the hurtful effects it has on people. This may end happily, but what happened is still damaging.

Evening in New Tokyork was calm and warm. Natsu and his friends hit up the local cafe before walking uptown.

"Wow! This new Pumpkin Cinnamon latte is delicious!" Sabi gushed.

"I still can't believe we got this for fifty-percent off," Raku advised.

"Maybe because we were new," Wabi suggested.

"Well, you can thank me for that," Alex said. "It was nice how they gave us a discount. Don't you agree, Natsu?"

Natsu nodded in agreement.

"See? Even Natsu agrees," Alex commented.

"I see it as kinda weird though," Aji spoke. "Sure, it's a nice gesture but most places don't offer stuff for fifty-percent off. They may have seen us as special."

"We're not that special, are we?" Sabi quizzed.

"Considering that most of you are shifters with wings, ya'll are pretty special," Alex answered. "Sometimes, even I wish I had wings."

"You know you can fly via us," Kou acknowledged, elbowing him a bit with a grin. Natsu softly tugged on Alex's shirt.

"What's up, Natsu?" He queried, turning to him. He made a sliding motion with his hands.

"You wanna go to the park?" He guessed. He nodded, hopping with cheer.

"The park, huh?" Wabi asked.

"It has gotten a l-little bland walking up here. A trip to the park would do some good," Shirin agreed.

"We have plenty of time before night falls. Let's hit up the park before heading home," Sugi instructed. They walked to their favorite park and took a seat at their favorite bench. Natsu went off to swing.

"You think Natsu'll be alright by himself?" Aji questioned.

"He's 17," Sugi told. "If he needs help, we'll help him. Other than that, he can fight for himself."

"I know, but I'm just worried," Aji said. "He's so sweet, and I'm scared that he'd get snapped like a twig in a fight."

"As I said, we'll help him if he needs it," Sugi advised.

"Very well," Aji sighed. "I don't know why anyone would hurt him though. He's an innocent soul."

"People are just fucked up and hurt people without rhyme or reason," Wabi said.

"Whatever happens to him, we'll be there to help," Alex commented.

As Natsu swung, a woman who had her arms crossed along with an irritated expression stopped him.

"What're you doing?" The woman interrogated. He pointed to the swing.

"You know, this park is reserved for humans only. White humans," The woman told. The others on the bench began to take notice of the situation.

"What's going on over there?" Sabi questioned.

"Should we jump in?" Kou quizzed.

"Things seem calm for now. We jump in when things get hectic," Sugi instructed.

"What's wrong with you? Why can't you talk?!" The woman demanded. Natsu shrunk himself and gave off a low whimper as the woman got closer and closer to him.

"Are you some stupid, knife-eared fag like the rest of them?" The woman teased. 

"She's being a bitch! Let me punch her face in!" Sabi growled, struggling in Sugi's grasp.

"Careful, Sabi. You know that won't get to him," Sugi advised.

In response to the name-calling, Natsu pushed the woman in defense. The woman growled and punched him in the nose. The bench where his friends were was filled with angry commotion.

"What makes me think you can beat me, you filthy, cotton-picking nigger-chink?!" The woman snarled. His friends decided to jump in, for they'd heard enough.

"Don't you DARE call him that, you twisted bitch!" Alex snapped.

"You keep that fucking word out of your mouth, you racist whore!" Shirin screamed.

"Say that to him again, and I'll make you choke on your own blood," Sugi threatened.

"I'll tear your throat out, you slithering, conniving slut!" Sabi hissed. 

"Don't fuck with our friend, twat!" Raku and Kou fumed.

"You stay away from him, you cunt!" Aji seethed.

As his friends feuded and argued with the woman, Natsu found new anger within himself. He'd been called those cursed slurs more than once, and he didn't really know why. It cut him deep every time, and he could never fight for or defend himself. But this time, that hidden rage began to show. Rage from those many times he was insulted and berated because of his sexuality and race finally began to rear its terrifying head. He promptly got up and made his way through the crowd and faced the woman who spat those derogatory terms at him with the angriest expression he's ever given to anyone.

"Natsu?" Alex called.

"Oh, the nigger wants more, does he?" The woman taunted. Natsu gave a snarl.

"Give it to her, Natsu!" Aji encouraged.

"Yeah! fuck her up!" Raku motivated. 

"You're nothing, chink. You'll always be nothing no matter what your stupid friends say," The woman ranted. Natsu had just about enough of her insults and let out a loud, angry scream that echoed from out of the park and around the area with his wings spread out to their full length. His friends and even the woman was stupefied. After he was done, the woman ran off in fear. Natsu put his head in his knees and cried.

"Natsu!" Alex called, kneeling to comfort him. The others followed suit.

"Hey, it's alright, bud. She's gone," He reassured.

"We promise we'll never let anyone do that to you again," Sabi comforted.

"We'll protect you through and through. No matter what," Wabi soothed.

"As Shakespeare once said, There's no better sign of a brave mind than a hard hand," Shirin encouraged.

"I know you're stressed and scared," Kou assured.

"It's going to be okay," Raku bolstered.

"Deep breaths, love," Aji consoled. Natsu felt bittersweet from their consoling and comforting. He was still sad and stressed but not crying at least.

"C'mon, let's take you home. We can watch any movie you want," Alex relieved, walking out of the park with him and the others. Once the sky was dark blue, they made it to Natsu's house and watched Spirited Away while snuggled up under blankets with popcorn and snacks. The evening may have been all over the place and stressful, but at least they had each other. That was all they needed.

**Author's Note:**

> Again, I'm really sorry about the slurs and the mean stuff. Just know that I don't just want to make stories about acceptance and happiness. I wanna tackle more serious things as well.


End file.
